Many occasions, when a film bombs on the field workplace, it generates a whole lot of consideration. Take the Melania Trump documentary “Melania,” which flopped on the field workplace earlier this yr in spectacular vogue. However each on occasion, an enormous flop slips by means of the cracks when it comes to the bigger cultural dialog. That is exactly what occurred with “Desert Warrior,” which is now on observe to develop into one of many largest flops ever.
Starring Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: Courageous New World”) and directed by Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), “Desert Warrior” opened in North American theaters final weekend, although hardly anybody observed. It made simply $487,848 on simply over 1,000 screens, making for an abysmal $483 per-screen common. That provides it one of many worst field workplace openings of all time, but it surely will get a lot worse.
This film, which most individuals studying this most likely have not even heard of, carries a monster $150 million manufacturing price range. It is also been caught in post-production hell for a number of years. As “Michael” dominated the field workplace on its opening weekend, this historic epic quietly bombed its means into the historical past books.
The movie facilities on a princess who flees into the Arabian desert as she’s hunted by mercenaries. Solid right into a warrior and aided by a legendary bandit (Mackie), she unites warring tribes for a final stand that can alter the course of historical past. The forged additionally consists of Ben Kingsley (“Iron Man 3”), Sharlto Copley (“Monkey Man”), and Aiysha Hart (“A Discovery of Witches”).
Will Desert Warrior develop into the most important field workplace bomb ever?
To be crystal clear, this film’s failure cannot be positioned on Anthony Mackie’s shoulders, or any of the actors for that matter. Heck, for causes we’ll get into, Rupert Wyatt can solely shoulder a lot of the blame right here. It is a mess that’s far greater than anyone individual. However earlier than we get into that, it is price discussing historic context. This is not only a huge field workplace bomb. Relying on how issues shake out, this could possibly be the one largest bomb ever. On the very least, it is going to wind up within the dialogue, barring a miracle.
Figuring out the one largest bomb ever is not a precise science however there are some well-known examples we are able to look to. “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” might be the most important field workplace bomb of all time. Starring Eddie Murphy, the failed sci-fi/comedy made simply $7.1 million worldwide on a $100 million price range. It really does not get a lot worse than that. “Desert Warrior,” because it stands, can be very fortunate to clear $3 million domestically.
There’s additionally one other historic epic within the type of “The thirteenth Warrior,” which was a bomb for the ages, taking in lower than $62 million worldwide on a price range reported to be as excessive as $160 million. At this level, “Desert Warrior” is not going to smell a quantity that prime, if the home numbers are any indication. There’s, nevertheless, a reasonably main caveat.
“Desert Warrior” was a Saudi-funded manufacturing from MBC Group. It was shot in Saudi Arabia and is not Hollywood fare. When this film begins rolling out abroad, it is fully potential that audiences present up in a means Individuals did not. If that does not occur? Yikes.
Desert Warrior had a vastly troubled manufacturing course of
So, what the hell occurred? How did “Desert Warrior” endure such a grim destiny? Vertical Leisure picked up the home rights in February, and it is a small-time distributor. It was by no means going to do huge enterprise in Vertical’s arms. Have been the backers banking on it doing the overwhelming majority of its enterprise elsewhere on the planet? Maybe. Hollywood can not depend upon the Chinese language field workplace largely as a result of China is favoring homegrown titles as of late. Possibly one thing comparable will occur in Saudi Arabia.
Extra probably, that is the results of a troubled manufacturing that has been within the works for years. This film started filming in late 2021, with manufacturing wrapping in early 2022. Deadline revealed a deep-dive into the behind the scenes drama again in 2024, revealing that Rupert Wyatt walked away throughout modifying over inventive variations, solely to return later. He’s stated to have needed a “nuanced” film, whereas the MBC needed one thing extra akin to “Braveheart.”
Filming itself wasn’t troubled, per se, in accordance with accounts. All of it fell aside in post-production, which took years to finish. Additionally, a big chunk of the $150 million price range was actually placing infrastructure in place to handle a manufacturing of this measurement. “On-set insiders say Saudi manufacturing hub Neom Media was successfully laying the infrastructure for a complete trade on the price range of ‘Desert Warrior,'” the report famous.
It was an enormous manufacturing the place inventive variations obtained in the best way, and it was minimally marketed to American audiences with a nasty reception. It is sitting at 27% on Rotten Tomatoes proper now. This film’s place within the historical past books will probably be solely decided by abroad audiences within the weeks/months to return.
